BBC News op/ed blames Bush Admin, wonders if US media is growing a spine

[Nothing Without Hope]

This article lays out the reasons why the US media is "timid" and "self-censoring" as well as tightly connected with the Administration through their corporate bosses. But the author believes that the examples of hitherto rare truth-telling by some TV news reporters during the days of murderous delays and negligence by the federal government may signal an important shift. He pointed out the obvious lies or "breathtaking ignorance" of the federal authorities, "and you did not need a degree in journalism to know it either." He was clearly impressed at Geraldo's tears, and overall has judged that the "masterfully aggressive spin-surgeons of the Bush administration" are not going to be able to get away with it this time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4214516.stm


Caption: Thousands were forced to wait days for food and shelter

Viewpoint: Has Katrina saved US media?

By Matt Wells, BBC News, Los Angeles
Last Updated: Monday, 5 September 2005, 16:48 GMT 17:48 UK

As President Bush scurries back to the Gulf Coast, it is clear that this is the greatest challenge to politics-as-usual in America since the fall of Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

(snip)

As the heads of the Homeland Security department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) appeared for network interviews, their defensive remarks about where aid was arriving to, and when, were exposed immediately as either downright lies or breath-taking ignorance.

(snip)

When the back-slapping president told the FEMA boss on Friday morning that he was doing "a heck of a job" and spent most of his first live news conference in the stricken area praising all the politicians and chiefs who had failed so clearly, it beggared belief.

(snip)

Blaming the state and city officials, as the president is already trying to do over Katrina, will not wash.

(snip)

[BikeWriter]

1. Well, there's only Cough! 10,000 or so Cough! poor people dead.

:sarcasm:

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. Bush has gotten a free ride for so many monstrous crimes. Let's hope

this BBC reporter is right about the US media starting to grow a spine despite the cozy corporate links with the Administration. Surely THIS time the lies and horror are so obvious that they cannot be spun away.

[BikeWriter]

4. I know, the last five years have been a roller coaster ride.

:(

[Nothing Without Hope]

2. Most courageous, passion-filled truthtelling: KEITH OLBERMANN's REPORT

If this doesn't move you, you're not paying attention. That's why I am hoping that the millions who saw it will remember Keith's forceful, passionate conviction as he says what the media SHOULD have been saying all along.

Keith's outrage is ours. The Administration is going to try to get him for this, or at least suppress him. Nothing like this has ever been seen on TV about Bush and Cheney, I'm sure of it. He is absolutely speaking from the heart and he knows the facts. Anyone who sees this will comprehend that.

A video clip with Olbermann's piece, "The City Of Louisiana," has already been put up by a generous person and posted on the DU thread about this. A Windows Media version is up at Crooks & Liars, with a QuickTime version promised soon.

I've collected the links to this INCREDIBLE, THRILLING, TRUTH-TELLING REPORT from Keith here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4600287&mesg_id=4657376

A transcript should be posted tomorrow. I've also given a link to the DU thread about it. Of everything we've seen this is the most powerful by a major studio news anchor. It has everything, and it is absolutely DEVASTATING.

[liberalitch]

5. Bush IS to blame and the media STILL doesn't have a spine.

[Berry Cool]

7. Watch Olbermann before you accuse the media of having no spine.

He has ALWAYS had one. It didn't just magically grow in last week.

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. Yes, anyone following Olbermann knows he's had integrity and insight

that he didn't censor from his reports. As you and many other DUers know, he was the ONLY Network news reporter who actually covered the evidence of fraud and voter suppression after Nov 2004. He dared to ask the question as none of the others did.

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. This CNN article from a few days ago explicitly demonstrated lies from

the Bush Administration officials in side-by-side quotes from them and from reporters, local officials, and other eyewitnesses. There are even some videos, making it possible to see the body language while they are spinning their asses off:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4600287
Thread title: CNN article entirely on DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OFFICIAL VERSION AND TRUTH

A number of other truth-telling articles are also posted in the replies to that thread.

[MadeinOhio]

8. In a word, Bush doesn't care whatever happens to the victims or who makes

it in bush world or who lives or anything like that. Meaningless peasants, Rove will get him his cake.

What he cares about and indeed, the only thing is his IMAGE. Everything is politics, Big Oil and the rest. If he looks like a worthless sack he doesn't get any business done. Nobody trusts him. Nobody listens to him. Nobody ever wants to see him.


He would become marginalized even in the event of martial law which would cause massive war that the military would not like, and end up couping the Bush Mobile.

So to avoid any of that, a spin spin spin is the only way. Minmize the image. BRAINWASH THAT IMAGE EVERYWHERE.

But when he looks feels and stumps around like a worthless jackass, then he will self-explode and completely throw himself out by resigning when he realizes nothing else matters.

That's how it gets done...He realizes impeachment is coming, he'll high-tail it out of there. Go spend more time with his OIL company, ta da.

Meanwhile corporate media must be blasted so badly that it stands on its ass and keeps the HEAT ON NONSTOP, with all news, so spin goes bye bye. And then it must get the POLITICIANS into gear to care about more than bullshit politics. Then Nixon II, after a little war will.......FALL ON HIS FLAT FASCIS ASS

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. Thank you, this posted yesterday. Already on the Greatest page.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4640022

[Nothing Without Hope]

10. Sorry for the dupe. I wanted to start a new thread with positive articles

since my older compilation has been off the greatest page for several days, and in General Discussion that makes it very hard to keep visible:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4600287

I somehow missed the earlier post before starting this thread, or I would have chosen another positive article to start with.